Nose-guard.



.P. L. WENDELL.

NOSE GUARD. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1912.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

C01; tnasses; M M Lia s23, E a ga? PERCY LANGDON WENDELL, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS.

NOSE-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5,1912.

Application filed January 17, 1912. Serial No. 671,767.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY L. WENDELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamaica Plain, county of Suffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nose- Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to nose guards and particularly to that form of guard which is employed in the protection of the nose and face of the wearer in the game of football.

In the usual type of these guards and masks the upper part of the guard is held against the forehead by a band which passes around the head while the lower part is held in place by a block of rubber held between the front teeth of the wearer. This feature of the device has been the cause of much trouble inasmuch as it brought a heavy strain to bear on the front teeth which are ill adapted to stand that strain and shock which the guard is intended to resist. In the second place, the centrally arranged block effectually closes the mouth of the wearer so that there is slight chance for breathing through the mouth without raising the mask. In use this form of structure has proved to be a matter of risk to those whose front teeth might be injured, and of danger and discomfort to anyone whose front teeth have already been injured.

It is the object of my present invention to avoid the defects and difficulties hereinbefore pointed out. I secure this result by providing for the holding of the lower end of the mask by means capable of being engaged by the side teeth, leaving the central portion of the mouth free and removing the strain from the front teeth.

As an illustrative embodiment of my in vention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings and will particularly describe in the following specification a form of mask which I have found well adapted to practical use.

Throughout specification and drawings like reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding parts and in the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of my mask, Fig. 2 is a central section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the mouth hold.

My mask consists of the usual nose protecting portion 1, preferably made of rubber. At the upper end of this is the fore head piece 2 which is held in place by a strap 3. The lower end of the nose piece 1 is provided with large breathing openings 4 arranged wholly below that portion of the mit air to be directly drawn into the mouth from this part of the mask.

at each side of the upper part of the chm piece 5 in lateral alinement with the opening 6, I provide two extensions 7, 7

which are adapted to be received into the corners of the mouth and held between the side teeth. These projections 7, 7 may be of any suitable material but preferably I form them of leather as affording the best grip and resisting the biting action of the molars and bicuspids between which they are held. The strip 7, 7 may be set in the nose piece in any suitable manner, either attached separately, or as indicated, the strip may be of a single piece bent into a U shape and molded into the mask 1.

Various modifications may obviously be made in the form and arrangement of the parts of my device, all without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A guard of the class described, comprising a nose protector, a forehead rest at one end of said protector, a head encircling strap attached to said rest and a pair of spaced strips set below the plane of said nose guard and adapted to be engaged by the side teeth of the wearer.

2. A guard of the class described, comprising a nose protecting area, a forehead rest at one end of said area, a head encircling strap attached to said rest, and a pair of 1 strips set below the plane of said nose guard and upon each side of the median line thereof, to be engaged by the side teeth of the wearer.

3. In combination with a nose guard, a mouth hold comprising a strip of suitable material having its free ends projecting therefrom as spaced bits and adapted to be held between the side teeth of the wearer.

4c. In combination with a nose guard, a

mouth hold comprising a pair of spaced leather strip having its free ends projecting 1U strips attached thereto, adapted to be held therefrom as spaced bits and adapted to be between the side teeth of the wearer. held between the side teeth of the wearer.

5. In combination with a nose guard, a In testimony whereof I afiix my signature mouth hold comprising a pair of spaced in presence of two witnesses.

leather strips attached thereto, adapted to PERCY LANGDON VENDELL. beheld between the side teeth of the wearer. lVitnesses:

6. In combination with a molded rubber R. B. ELLMs, nose guard, a mouth hold comprising a Josnrn W. Downs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

